Say It
by ScaliaFics94
Summary: PENNIG FANFICTION: I'm using Scalia tags but it's really Pennig. Shelley gets lunch with Phoebe, they bring up their current love lives. When the conversation turns to Tyler's new girlfriend Shelley tries to brush it off unsuccessfully. She thinks she can ignore the subject until Posey joins their lunch. Will update in rotation to other Scalia fics.
1. Chapter 1

The song for this fic is Flume - Say It (feat. Tove Lo) (Illenium Remix)

SHELLEY'S POV:

I stepped out of my car, clicked the button to lock it, and put on my dark sunglasses. With a glance both ways, I crossed the street for the restaurant across the street for my lunch date.

Phoebe sat at the square, metal table on their outside patio. Her pink tinted sunglasses were pushed back on top of her head. She looked up from her phone as I neared.

"Finally," She picked up the menu. "I'm starving."

I sank down into the metal chair of our favorite restaurant. "Don't yell at me," I whined with my sunglasses still on.

"Bitch, I didn't yell at you." She surveyed me with a shake of her head. "You thought you were slick, didn't you?"

My brow arched above the rim of the glasses.

She showed me my Instagram post with our conversation about my requirements in a man. "I see he still hasn't liked it yet."

The waitress placed to two glasses of water on the table.

"Actually, I'll take a long island iced tea," I told her. I grabbed for my I.D.

She waved it off. "I know who you are," She reddened.

I offered a friendly smile. "What's your name?"

She looked between Phoebe and me, then answered, "Cari."

I grabbed my phone. "Cari, what's your Insta?"

"At CariYoOwnDrinks," She rushed out nervously.

Phoebe and I chuckled.

"Cute," Phoebe said.

Cari blushed even redder. She let out a nervous laugh. "I'll be back with your drinks." She stiffly walked off.

Phoebe peeped over her shoulder to watch her leave. "What a cutie." She looked back at me with her hazel eyes.

I nodded. "I like her." I scanned back over the menu. "I don't know what I want to eat."

"Something that starts with Tyler and ends with Posey?" Her tone subtle and intrusive at the same time.

My eyes found hers. "I'm not going there with you."

She leaned forward. "Who else are you going to go there with? Britt?"

I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. Britt had been a little M.I.A. lately. Or a lotta M.I.A. But she was really busy working on her projects and she was crushing it. Dylan took up what free time she had left for herself and family.

"This is me and I can't believe you didn't tell me about this before now." She whispered in case anyone in the business overheard. "I mean, I've always suspected. I've hoped...But you never said anything."

A bit of guilt stirred in me. "Pheebs, I don't even know what's going on between us. We've had a sibling like friendship for a while and now-"

Her hand raised to cut me off. "You never had a sibling like friendship. That's just what you told yourself to not feel so guilty about it when it came to Thomas."

I didn't feel like arguing with her about it so I shrugged. "Maybe so. Now that we're over what does that mean for me?"

Her forehead creased. "Do you want to get back out there?"

"I'm not sure. It's been almost a month since Tom and I broke up. I don't know if I'm ready." My attention fell on the couple in the window sitting at a table as they stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Correction, you broke up with Thomas. Mainly because he didn't approve of your relationship with Tyler." She rested an arm back on her seat.

My mind worked over the countless conversations and arguments over him not approving of how close I was with Posey. I always assured him we were strictly friends. Maybe at one point, I believed that.

Ever since we filmed 6A and mainly 6B there was no denying how much we became attached at the hip. He'd been three things to me so far. A brother, a friend, and someone that made me forget about Tom when I was with him. He was just so contagious. I guess I got sick.

Phoebe grinned at me. "Look at that smile on your face."

I hadn't noticed before but now it widened. "Anyway, it's not just me that I have to consider. It's all over social media that he's with Sophia Ali."

"Do you think that man would really get a girlfriend and not ask for your approval?"

My face grew hot. "Jeez, Pheebs. I'm not his mother."

Cari came back with our drinks and a basket of sweet potato fries sprinkled with coarse sea salt and a few ramekins of ketchup, like way more than was necessary.

"We didn't order those," I told her.

Phoebe reached for a few with hard eyes.

Cari cleared her throat. "Don't worry about it." She looked between us. "Do you need more time to look over the menu?"

"No, I'll take your chicken strawberry salad with the dressing." I handed her my menu with a grin.

Phoebe ordered a cheeseburger and fries, then Cari was off again.

I sipped on my long island iced tea as I avoided the judgment in Phoebe's eyes. "My stomach is nervous," I supplied. "Enough about me. What about you and Paul? You two looked hot and heavy last night I saw you."

Her eyes grew alive, a face splitting smile overtook her face. She sunk back in her chair.

"That good, huh?"

"Okay, you remember when we went to Cancun that weekend?"

How could I not? We got so wasted and so tan. It was one of the best weekends of my life.

My head tilted. "When you and that hotel worker had fun in the jacuzzi after hours all weekend, sloot?"

She playfully threw a fry at me.

I caught it with my mouth.

Hmm, these were good.

"Well, it's been like that but constant."

My face scrunched. "I love you but I don't want to know how many times Paul can make you cum."

She laughed loudly. "That's a lie. How many times did you share intimate details about your sex life with Thomas? Now I get to return the favor."

I supposed that was fair.

"So are you guys like officially back together?" I dipped a fry into the ketchup and popped it into my mouth.

Her shoulders did a little shrug dance. "To be determined." She didn't seem upset about it either. "Now back to Tyler," She sipped her lemonade. "Do you think his cock is big?"

I stilled, then chugged my tea.

Thoughts of the size of his-the quantity of the-how much of it that would fit into me had crossed my mind a few times here or there. Maybe how his calloused hands of a man would feel sliding down my skin...Or how his cute little mouth would make me cu-

"...Coming."

My eyes snapped to hers. "Huh?"

She slid her sunglasses back down. "Tyler is coming over here. Act natural."

Icy fear halted my body. "Seriously?"

"Mhmm," She tried not to laugh. "He looks pretty single to me."

"Do I look okay?" Nerves flapped in me.

She made a face. "Ehh."

This bitch.

"You know you look hot," She nibbled on another fry. "He looks hot."

I blamed my low growl at her on left over traits of Malia being territorial and protective of the Alpha.

Cari came out with our food, placed it on the table, and poured us glasses of water.

"Who looks hot?" Tyler came into view.

He wore a white floral print button down which showcased his sleeve on his right arm. His tan chinos fit him nicely. Light stubble dotted his face. The sun glinted off his nose ring. A snack. At least, that's what I've been seeing our Pennig shippers say. They weren't wrong.

"You," I said awkwardly.

Phoebe didn't hold in her laughter.

Cari gawked at him in awe. Phoebe's glass had more than ran over.

He stared at her. "Oh, hi." He reached over to grab some napkins to get the water up. He looked down at me with a budding grin that made his dimples pop. He gave a light laugh.

My face burned. I was definitely keeping the sunglasses on. That was a smart move. Best move I made all day.

"I'm so sorry," Cari said, flushed and clearly embarrassed.

"No, you're fine," I assured her. "Just bring us a rag and we'll get it."

She nodded, then ran off.

Phoebe's foot kicked mine under the table.

"Oh," I turned to Tyler. "What are you doing here?"

His thick arms folded across his firm chest as he stood back. "I had a meeting like a block away, then I got hungry."

 _I could eat you_.

"You want some ketchup?" I teased.

He propped his elbows on the table to lean down. He lifted my sunglasses up and pushed them back so they were on top of my head, his fingers brushed my skin and hair in the process. He grinned. "I don't think that'll do today."

I stared into his cocoa eyes.

We hadn't seen each other in almost two weeks which I heavily disliked but felt was much needed to sort things out. And I still hadn't figured them out. I wasn't sure if it helped or hurt that we had kissed a bunch of times while shooting our Scalia scenes. While they weren't filmed in such a sexy way as they came out on screen, they were still eye opening and filled with laughter because I couldn't hold my composure. If I laughed he would laugh and it snowballed from there.

"You want a bite?" Pheebs offered around a mouthful of her burger.

He turned to her. "Yeah, give me some of that action," He bit into it as she held it. He moaned.

His contagiousness crept up on me again. I couldn't hide my smile.

"I think you should put your butt in that chair." She urged.

He grabbed the lone dry napkin and wiped his mouth while he sat.

Cari came back with a rag, she began wiping the table down without meeting our eyes.

Phoebe grabbed her hand. "Honey, we got it. What do you recommend for Mr. Posey here? He's a hungry man."

Her eyes went to the ketchup bottle, then they shifted between the two of us. I heard her mutter under her breath, "I'm gonna die."

Phoebe wiped the table dry.

"Um, we have good pizza. The burgers are really great."

That sounded really yummy, but my tummy couldn't take that right now.

"Give me whatever you like best. I'm not picky." He held his hand out.

Her eyes widened as she held hers out to shake. "Yes, T-Pose."

We laughed at her.

She was adorable.

She left this time a little less nervous.

"So you have a new girlfriend?" Phoebe flat out asked. Her eyes trained on him like a hawk.

Oh God.

I downed the rest of my tea and wished Cari was still here to get me another.

He glanced at me. "Uhh,"

Phoebe leaned toward him. "That's what it's saying all over social media. Sophia Ali to be exact."

My throat cleared. "You don't have to answer that," I assured. "Please don't."

He stared at me, uncertainty in his eyes about my current state. "Okay, I won't then."

I waited for Phoebe to kick me again but it didn't happen. I could see from across the table she was disappointed in me. Disappointed because I was being a coward about this, about him when we both knew I could do something about it.

She rose. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." She walked inside.

Tyler and I locked eyes.

"How have you been?"

I gave a slight grin. "The show just wrapped up so I'm trying to figure out my next move."

Literally.

He nodded. "I can't wait to see you in it."

"What about you?" I took a sip of my water.

Light danced behind his warm eyes. "I'm working on a few shorts. Directing them. My meeting was for another potential short. We're looking for an actress that can dance," His gaze filled with interest.

I leaned forward. "Are you asking me to audition for your short?"

He leaned forward. "No, I'm asking you to dance for me."

My eyebrows shot up at the suggestive undertone.

His dimples popped as he laughed.

"How much are you going to pay me to dance for you, Posey?" I asked playfully.

He thought on it. "What do you want?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not going to let you pay me for a short."

He grabbed a few fries. "How about this? Once we have a script solidified I'll bring you a copy and we can do lunch." He gazed at me. "Or dinner."

My dimples ran deep as a smile broke across my face. "Deal," I held a hand out.

His warm hand wrapped around mine. Tingles ran up my hand and along my arm. "Deal," His eyes ran across my face. He leaned a little closer.

I stilled.

"Do you think Phoebe will notice if I take another bite of her burger?" He whispered.

I eyed the door. "Go for it. I'll keep watch."

He snuck a bite that was noticeable.

"Oh, you're kidding me." I looked at him. "You ate half her burger, Ty."

He almost choked on his stolen food. He grabbed my water and downed it after he swallowed.

My eyes narrowed. "That was my water,"

He stared at me, unbothered. "Yeah?" He reached for my untouched salad. "Why'd you get a salad? You hate salad."

"I do not."

"You literally told me once, 'I hate salad'." He offered a smug look.

I nodded. "Now I recall I did say that."

He waited for me to continue.

My shoulders shrugged. "I don't know. I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately. Reevaluating," I leaned my head against my fist. "You know how that goes."

His head bobbed a little. "About what? Specifically."

I hadn't told him about Thomas and I breaking up and I guess now was a good a time as any.

My lips pursed. "So I broke up with Thomas like a month ago," My hand absently scratched at my nose. "Now I'm debating moving out of my house."

A few things happened.

He looked at me with utter shock in his eyes. He couldn't tell if he should be upset that I didn't tell him sooner or not. And his eyes softened as he gazed at me.

"What?" I asked, a little shyly.

"You broke up with him?"

Cari placed his food in front of him. "There-"

"Yes,"

Our eyes stayed locked.

Cari let out a cry between a dolphin dying and a pterodactyl screech before she rushed off.

A few patrons stared at us in confusion, then went back to their lives.

"So Pennig, huh?" He put on the table.

I nodded. "Yeah, I think we're killing Cari. It's a shame because I like her."

He looked after her. "She's cute."

My brow rose. "She's like eighteen."

He turned back to me. "I didn't mean like that. Besides I like older women like yourself,"

My eyes gazed into his falling for the rich chocolate of his orbs.

"Senior citizen and all." He teased.

I didn't see that burn coming. I needed some aloe vera. And I was only like four years older than him.

I flicked him off but I didn't mean it. Or maybe I did. I didn't know. I didn't know if he had this new girlfriend. I didn't know a lot of things.

"Just for that, I'm telling Pheebs you bit off her burger."

He rubbed his hands together at his burger and fries. "I think she'll notice anyway. I'm starving."

God, it looked delicious. I really wasn't feeling my salad.

"Do you want some?" He offered.

I stared at him in appreciation. "No, it's okay. Thanks."

He dove in unapologetically. One of the things I loved most about him.

"Did Phoebe fall in or..." I muttered. She'd been gone a little longer than necessary. Maybe there was a line.

"Have you looked at new places yet?"

My head shook. "No. I was going to ask Phoebe but she's looking for new work after her show didn't get picked up again." I didn't want it to feel like I was rubbing it in her face.

He met my gaze. "I can go with you if you want?"

"Yeah? I mean, aren't you really busy Directing and podcasting?" I added a playful grin. I was proud of him. He really found the mediums he was in love with which was so refreshing to find in this business. He didn't care about fame or what big names he could work with. He just worked because he wanted to get his hands dirty.

He sat back in the chair, a light smirk on his face. "When do I not make time for you?"

I wanted to say when you decided to get a girlfriend but it wasn't my place.

"You do a decent job,"

His brows shut up. "Decent? That's all?"

"What, do you want a cookie?" I leaned forward on the table.

He smiled at me, his eyes drifted to my mouth momentarily, then back up to my eyes. "You offering?"

My laugh turned nervous, my eyes went to the table.

Phoebe thankfully trotted back out with a worried huff. "Sorry," She grabbed her purse, placed a twenty on the table. "I've gotta go."

"What? Why?" I asked.

"My mom's coming down and I have to clean the apartment and go grocery shopping, and do my hair. You know how she is."

Oh, I knew.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I offered.

She waved it off. "Not even a little bit," She leaned down to kiss my cheek, her mouth went to my ear. "You could use a little tickle down there."

I turned so red.

"Bye, Pheebs," I said pointedly.

Tyler rose for a hug and formal kiss on the cheek. "Call us if you need reinforcements."

She gave a dry chuckle. "I might have to take you up on that." She patted his shoulder. "Take care of my girl." She zoomed off.

We shared a look.

"So I have a confession to make," He started.

I grew rigid.

"I've been reading Scalia fanfiction at night."

I relaxed with a snort. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "Smoke and Mirrors by Etherealmindss got me hooked."

My arm rested on the back of the chair as I angled more toward him. "In that case, I've got a confession to make too."

His brow arched.

"I've been reading Scalia fanfiction also. I can't stop."

We laughed.

"Who are you reading?" He probed.

"All of ScaliaFics94. She's got a good amount."

"Never heard of it." He dismissed.

I went for my phone. "No, they're good. Let me show you." I found them, then scooted over until we were side by side.

He leaned into my space, the heat of his body warmed me up deliciously.

My eyes ran across his face as he looked at my phone.

He met my gaze.

"I think you'd like them," I said, my voice didn't hold much of anything from our closeness.

"I can think of something else I like a lot more."

I tried to hide my grin, but it shimmered across my face.

He split his burger with me, we finished that up and left Cari and nice tip. I would've waited for her to come back but I had a good feeling she was a Pennig stan and I didn't want to kill her more than we already had.

We ended up by my car.

He stared at me. "Do you want to get drinks tonight?"

Did I want to get drinks tonight? I wanted another drink right now. However, I hadn't tried much this morning and I would like to look like a snack too.

"When and where?"

A little shock danced on his face. "I'll text you."

I nodded with a grin.

He took my sunglasses, smirked, and turned to cross the street.

My ears picked up the closeness of a car. Instinctively, my hand grabbed his wrist, then pulled him to me. My heart slammed against my chest.

He fell into me when the car passed.

We were pressed against my car.

His intense brown eyes gazed into mine. His warm breath fanned across my face.

My hand slid down to his. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer, he only hugged me to him.

And boy did it feel good. He had always been a safe place for me, that only seemed to deepen along with my feelings for him.

His mouth went to my shoulder.

I was a little shocked at the sensation but I didn't pull away until he did.

"Where's your car? I don't know if I can trust you to walk there."

He waved it off. "A block away." He moved away.

I pulled him back by the hand. "I'll drive you."

His brow arched. "That's not necessary, Shell." He looked both ways, then started for the road again.

My hand yanked him back again. "I insist. Your ass in my car. Now." I wasn't playing around.

"Yes, ma'am." He raised his hands, then went over to the passenger side.

We got inside.

The car felt a lot more intimate than I anticipated. My car wasn't that small but I guess closed spaces will do that to you.

He gave me directions to his car, turned on the radio to his favorite station and proceeded the rock out with arm drums as he sung along. He was so bright and funny, and charismatic. There were so many things about him that I could list that I loved.

"I could eat you," Slipped out before I realized I actually said it to his face. That was something we only ever said via social media. Never face to face.

He stopped what he was doing to bless me with one of his dimpled smiles that met his eyes adorably.

I laughed, then turned a corner.

A click broke the tension.

I looked over at him.

He lowered his phone.

"Hey, no fair. I probably look a hot mess."

He leaned an elbow against the open window. "I agree with one of those."

My face reddened but thankfully he was invested into his phone.

By the time we made it to his car my face had calmed down.

He leaned over to place a kiss on my cheek. "Thanks, Shell. See you tonight," He was out and into his car before I had time to form words from the feeling of his lips on my skin again.

A smile plastered over my face as I drove off.

There was definitely a shift between us. Perhaps it was the fact that I was single and it was known to him. Or the girlfriend talk. Wait, I still didn't know if he had a girlfriend.

My hand slammed into the steering wheel as I let out a curse.

Whatever the case, I'd find out tonight because drinks this time didn't feel like just drinks. Or maybe I was over thinking it and we really were only getting drinks. Either way, I was going to look like a damn tasty snack tonight. Even if I didn't know he liked my snacks.

I let out a laugh.

Who was I kidding? He obviously did.

I winked at myself in my mirror, then drove off with the perfect outfit in mind and promise that whatever happened tonight with Tyler I would be open-minded about.

A/N: Cari is my spirit animal. I wish I were Cari. People that say I don't ship real people can go blow a hole. Do you want a cookie because you don't ship real people? Eat a diiiiiick! Haha I don't know how many times I've gotten that while talking to people about Scalia and bringing up Pennig. How can you not ship Pennig? That's why we're all here. Fuck it. How many people actually think Shelley is Posey's new gf and not Sophia Ali? Anyway, this will be updated in rotation with my other fics SO PLEASE BE PATIENT. Also letting me know what you think of this goes a long way :)


	2. Elastic Heart

The song for this chapter is Written By Wolves - Elastic Heart (Rock Cover) I picked this song cuz we all know Posey is a punk rock daddy and I felt it fit him.

A/N: LOL cuz I'm trash I wrote my tumblr (scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy) and Summer's (Etherealmindss) into this. Go check out her Scalia fic "Smoke And Mirrors". She's gonna update our second crossover chapter soonish.

CARI'S POV:

I rushed to the bathroom to compose myself after taking a few pics of Pennig once inside the restaurant. I hurriedly went to my Tumblr for much needed help. I started a group chat with my favorite Scalia/Pennig bitches.

CariMcCall: FGRGBN4PIJ4PGNRWOGNWOIGWIGN OING SEND HELP!

Etherealmindss: What happened?

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: ? You good?

CariMcCall: I'M AT WORK AND PENNIG ARE IN MY SECTION FUCKING TALKING TO ME!

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: BITCH YOU LYING!

Etherealmindss: SEND PROOF SO I KNOW IT'S REAL

CariMcCall: Sends photos

Etherealmindss: BIIIIIIIIIIIIITCHW N OAW4GO4WNG4IOWNGWON

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: I FUCKING HATE YOU HOE ASS.

CariMcCall: POSEY SHOOK MY HAND AND PHOEBE AND SHELLEY FOLLOWED ME ON INSTA I'M DYING

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: fuck you i'm salty. How come I can't live in California?

Etherealmindss: Cuz your ass lives in Virginia where you belong. I'll go to California for the both of us

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: Eat a dickkkkkkkk Summer!

Etherealmindss: Is it Posey's?

CariMcCall: YASSSSSSS

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS BISH I'M WET

Etherealmindss: ME TOO. CARI GET MORE PICS OF THEM. OR SELL WHAT'S LEFT OF HIS FOOD TO ME. I'LL EAT IT.

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: BITCH YOU NASTY...I'D RUB ALL OVER MY BODY IN HOPES HIS SPERM SOMEHOW GOT ON IT AND GETS ME PREGNANT.

Etherealmindss: BIIIIIITCH YOU GROSS...BUT YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! WE ALL KNOW THAT SPERM GOT ON HIS FOOD FROM NUTTING WHEN HE SAW SHELLEY.

CariMcCall: FACTSSSSS. I GOTTA GO!

Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy: DON'T LEAVE US HANGING HOE!

CariMcCall: WILL UPDATE WHEN I CAN!

I put my phone on do not disturb because I knew they'd blow it up, stowed it in my back pocket, splashed cold water on my face, then braved the journey back out to my other tables.

TYLER'S POV:

I watched Shelley drive off with a huge smile on her face. In turn, I had a huge smile on my face.

We had a nice impromptu lunch.

When I saw her and Phoebe my body led me over, I mentally didn't have a say. It wanted to see Shelley. Even in a simple t-shirt and jean shorts she looked gorgeous. She knew it and didn't know it at the same time.

Phoebe asking about the girlfriend rumors was a slight surprise. I didn't know how to process the fact that Shell didn't want me to talk about it. Her telling me she broke up with her long term jackass of a boyfriend was the highlight of my day.

She said yes to drinks tonight when I asked. I had been laying it on pretty thick, but no more than usual really. If anything, she seemed more receptive to it and that was all I ever wanted.

The picture I took of her driving uploaded to Instagram. I captioned it: I Could Definitely Eat You #ThisCutie #SavedMyLife #Where'sYourMans #nofilter #WhatABabe

The second I posted it my feed blew up and I had to mute my notifications like usual so I could play music uninterrupted on the drive home.

I hadn't been to the gym lately. There were some free weights out back, but I was feeling productive today, and maybe I wanted my muscles to bulge. Not in a creepy way though.

I called my buddy Tyler Schnabel up. "Schnabel," I greeted.

"Hey, what's up?" He had me on speaker. The ruffling of packages in the background.

"Good things. Can I come over to use your gym?"

He breathed heavy around what I hoped was food. "Sure, I'm not fucking using it. When?"

I pulled into my garage. "In like an hour or so."

He burped. "Cool. Let yourself in. I may or may not be napping."

"Dope, later." I hung up.

Changed into a black nike dri fit shirt and shorts I headed to the grocery store for a blender bottle and a big container of genuine chocolate Muscle Milk. I strolled over to the milk section to get some.

I headed down through the store only to spot the waitress from earlier.

She looked through a tea selection while she rubbed her temples. Her black naturally curly hair was pulled out of its bun earlier, it reached past her shoulders.

"Hey," I walked up to her.

Her green eyes turned to me. Even with sweat from work she still smelled like cocoa butter. Her skin a smooth chocolate complexion. Her eyes widened.

I offered a grin. "You remember me, right?" I joked.

She nodded stiffly.

"It's Cari, right?"

She nodded again.

"Why are you looking at tea?" I gestured to the products in front of us.

She blew out a heavy breath. "Not really feeling well. They let me go early."

I hoped it wasn't because of us. No, we didn't have that much power of people. Even Stans.

I surveyed the different teas. "Is it a stomach issue, headache, nausea?"

"All of the above." She tucked some curls behind her ear and bit her lip nervously. She was pretty adorable.

"Let's see," I picked up a box that said Stomach Relief. "Think this will work?"

She took the box. "This looks like it's filled with Empty Promises."

I laughed at her. "You're probably right."

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I shuffled the groceries in my arms to pull it out.

D'OB: You did not post that pick of Shell. It's blowing up XD

I looked up from my phone. "How old are you, Cari?"

"Almost 21 in a few days. Why?"

I brought up my camera. "Just checking," My arm went across her shoulders and pulled her close for a selfie.

She looked like a deer in headlights in the photo.

She grinned a little. "Do you mind if we retake that?"

"Not at all, Cari."

We posed for another one. This time she was ready and knew how to hold her face. She was really pretty.

"Do you mind if I post it on Insta?"

She coughed into her hand, her curls fell from behind her head and back into her face like a thick curtain. "Not at all,"

I pulled up Instagram. "I'll follow you and tag you in it." I held my phone out for her to bring up her page.

We followed each other.

I put a filter on the photo and captioned it: Best. Damn. Waitress. CariYourOwnDrinks #ThisCutie #MyNewFriend #GroceryBuddies #Melanin #MelaninPoppin #TeamDarkskin

She giggled when she got the notification. "Wow. Thanks, Posey." She stilled when she saw my earlier post of Shelley. She looked up at me with the biggest grin after double tapping it. Mischief swirled in her green eyes.

We headed toward the register.

"You approve?" I asked with a grin.

Her fist went to her mouth as her eyes shut. When she gathered herself she pointed at me. "Marry her."

A chuckle left me. "I'm trying, Cari." I put my stuff on the belt when the customer in front of me finished paying. "Hi, how are you?" I asked the cashier.

She greeted me nicely.

I pushed Cari's tea along with my stuff.

"Uh, excuse you." She pulled it back. "I don't need you to pay for my tea, Tyler. Thanks though."

My brow rose at her.

She didn't say it in a rude way. Her confidence showed for the first time since I met her. I wasn't offended she didn't want me to pay for her item. Honestly, if I were her, I wouldn't want a strange man paying for my stuff either.

"Sorry," I leaned down to apologize.

She gave a kind smile. "Don't worry about it."

I put in my information, then hugged Cari before I left.

Once at Schnabel's house, I parked, grabbed the bag, and jogged to his side door.

"Dude, I'm here." I opened the door and locked it.

His snores carried from the living room.

I placed the milk in the fridge and the bag on the counter. I walked toward the living room to find him indeed snoozing on his couch with True Detective in the background. Instead of waking him up, I just went out back to do some heavy lifting.

Working out was always something that had to be done to keep my physique up in the last few years for the show. Plus, people liked actors to look physically able and fit for roles. The more they could sexualize you in this industry the more money you'd make. I didn't mind showing skin on camera, but I don't think I'd ever be as comfortable as Shelley was doing it.

Goddamn, she was beautiful.

I honestly don't know how Dylan did it, making out with her on set. Well, Britt and Shelley are very close so that would've been weird.

After I felt sufficiently pumped and tight I called it quick with a cool down around his pool.

Schnabel was still very much asleep when I re-entered his house.

I made myself a quick protein shake in the blender bottle, then shook the bottle by his ear.

He jumped up with a start and calmed down when he saw me. "Bro," He stood up to stretch. "You just got here?"

My mouth set into an amused grin. "I got here an hour ago, thought I'd let you sleep."

He yawned. He gestured to me. "What's with the impromptu workout?"

The protein shake fell down my throat to satisfy my momentary hunger and lightheadedness.

"I saw Shelley and Phoebe out for lunch and I went over. Phoebe ended up leaving so it was just Shelley and me for a bit."

He grinned. "I miss Shelley. How's she doing?"

Hopefulness filled my body. "She's trying to figure out if she wants to move out of her house because she broke up with Thomas."

His eyes widened. "Seriously?"

My head nodded. "Yeah, for like a month now. And she's just now telling me." I didn't know if that held any significance or if I wanted it to so bad that it did in my mind.

"Then what are you doing here talking to me?"

I shrugged. "I came to workout. We're getting drinks tonight..." Worry set in. "Which probably won't be as big of a deal as I want it to be."

He planted his hands on my sweaty shoulders. "Come on, dude. You and Shelley have been friends, more than friends, for some time now. And how long have you been in love with this girl?"

"A long time."

He nodded. "A long time. I've seen how you two are around each other and I wouldn't gas you up if I didn't think she felt the same way. She broke up with her boyfriend."

My eyes rolled. "Not for me."

His face turned sarcastic. "You know as well as I do that Thomas was not a fan of your friendship. I'll bet my pool table that had a role in it."

"Nah," I waved it off.

"You doubt how much she cares about you," He slapped my back in passing. "You should get fancy as fuck tonight, put on the moves," He pointed to me. "Not in a creepy way though."

I nodded. "Of course not."

If I ever came across as creepy toward Shelley then I have failed as a decent human being, as a decent man, and that wasn't how my mom raised me. God rest her soul.

"Yeah," He grabbed a bag of chips from on top of his fridge. "Get her in a little spot, just the two of you and if that isn't possible then make it feel like just the two of you. You'll see it in her eyes when she looks at you."

God did she have big gorgeous eyes. When they looked at me she saw the whole of me, something that I felt like not everyone did. My personality could be a lot to handle and for a while, I thought that people didn't think it was genuine, but she did. And she said as much in one of our interviews a while back. That was when I actually thought of her as like a just a buddy or like a sister.

"What are you going to wear?" Schnabel brought me back to the present.

My arms went to my hips. "I don't know. Want to help me pick it out?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Up until it was time for me to head out I thought about dialing Dyl but I didn't want to jinx it. I also didn't want to put him in an awkward position if Shelley were to talk about it with Britt and him. After tonight though I'd have to tell him at some point. If he didn't find out from me he'd be hurt.

I got to the bar first. It wasn't clubby, just low key. Being known by the public was essential in frequenting places. While we didn't mind getting recognized at all it was nice to go unnoticed when we wanted to relax and this was a place we could go because no one that came here watched Teen Wolf. At least, I highly doubted it.

Schnabel helped me pick out a nice black dress shirt and dark jeans along with motorcycle boots because I wanted to ride my motorcycle down. I had a plan.

I sat at the bar all of three minutes before she walked in.

She wore a loose white shirt with a black blazer, blue jeans that did her legs justice, and tan, open toed wedges. Her hair was parted on the side like how I liked.

The thing about Shelley was that she could wear literally a burlap sack and be the most gorgeous thing I've laid my eyes on. Ever.

She spotted me and smiled right away, and headed over. "Hey, handsome. You come here often?"

"Only when I'm trying to pick up chicks."

She laughed.

I stood to hug her. I was tempted to nuzzle her neck from how good she smelled. My dick started to grow.

We pulled away to sit down on the bar stools.

"You look really handsome," She surveyed me.

I couldn't help the blush that came to my face. Something about her just brought out the inner school girl in me.

A grin broke out on my face. "Thank you." I gestured to her. "You always look beyond beautiful, tonight's no exception."

Her smile turned shy as she gazed at me.

I liked that I could make someone like her shy. It was cute.

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. "What about those drinks?"

"Let's," I turned to the bartender.

When he neared I turned to Shelley. "What are you having?"

Her eyes stayed on me for a few extra seconds before she started a conversation with him.

Whenever I'm with her I try not to look at her too often if it made her feel uneasy, but it was hard. She was always my center of attention in any room.

I ordered my usual Ballast Point stout.

"Actually," She interrupted the bartender. "I'll take one of those instead."

We looked at each other.

I had to admit that she was all smiles for me tonight and it was going to my head, both of them.

"Is Phoebe holding up okay?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed in amusement. "Still alive. Or so her texts say. I'm not so sure that she hasn't committed first-degree murder yet."

I laughed. "What's the deal with her mom?"

She checked around us and leaned a little closer. "She's a narcissist. Makes Pheebs feel terrible about herself and her life as if she's done nothing worth appreciating. You know Phoebe's dad died when she was young, so she doesn't want to push her mom out of her life." She sighed.

The bartender set our beers down.

We clinked them together and tipped them back.

"It was good to see her today, we should hang out more often." I tried to gauge her reaction.

She tilted her head to look at me. "You and Phoebe?" She took another sip of her beer.

I nodded. "Yeah, why not. She seems like a bro."

She hummed in indecision.

"What?" My brow arched. "Do you not like me hanging out with your friends?"

"No...It's not that."

My mind went to the next logical step.

"Do you not like me hanging out with your girl friends?"

She bit her lip as her eyes found mine. She remained in thought mode.

I laughed. "There's an easy fix to that," I leaned closer. "I just won't make a move on them."

Her eyes grew alert. "Yeah, you better not. She's taken."

My hands lifted in surrender. "She's not who I'm interested in."

I could see the question in her eyes. The eyes that I knew so well. The eyes that Schnabel told me to look into and sense what she felt about me.

There were interest and doubt. But she was the one that asked me not to talk about the girlfriend rumors so I hadn't brought it back up. It was my intention to by the end of the night to see where we stood on that. If she was interested.

Her gaze lowered, her dimple popped out. But I could feel her close off a bit.

"Besides who has time for dating anymore," I muttered, then sipped at my beer.

She gave a wry laugh. "Right," She leaned an arm against the countertop. Her eyes narrowed. "Wait, so the rumors aren't true?"

Okay, I guess we were talking about this now.

I pointed my beer at her. "I thought you didn't want to talk about that,"

A cheeky grin came across her face. "I didn't want Pheobe all up in our business."

My face split into a smile. "Our business?"

She realized what she said and brushed it off with, "Just answer the question, Tyler."

"Am I dating Sophia? Not even a little bit. You can let the air out of your ass now," I teased.

Her laughter wrapped around me, pulling me to her like a Siren. By all accounts, she was one. Luring men to their death, luring me to my death.

"I didn't think you were."

I turned more to her. "And why is that?"

She gave a half shrug. "You hadn't told me about her," She stared at me. "And I've seen you with the girls you like. I saw a video of two of you out and you didn't look very interested."

Completely taken off guard, I was flattered.

"You checked up on me, aww."

She turned red. "Eat my dust," She got up. "I'm leaving." She playfully headed for the door.

My hands pulled her back by her waist. "Where do you think you're going?"

She came back willingly.

"I'm not finished with you yet," My eyes burned into hers.

Her hand went to my shoulder as she sat back on her stool. "Good," She crossed her legs. "You haven't gotten a chance to tell me about LifeRide8. That looked like fun."

"Amfar was the great foundation behind the mission to cure HIV/AIDS. Kiehl's made that amazing hand cream, all of their profit went to Amfar. The trip was so amazing and surreal, I just wish there were more projects like that. It felt really important like I was playing a hand in something completely bigger than myself. Everyone that participated was great." I scratched at my neck. "I can't wait to do it again."

She stared at me with heavy eyes. I could see pride in them.

"What?"

Her head shook a little. "I just like the way you talk about things when you're passionate about them. It's charismatic."

I made a noise of approval. "Anything else you like?"

She fought her grin. "I loved when you directed me in 6x13. I'm so ready for it again if this dance short works out."

I nodded. "Right, that would be really cool to work on that together." I sighed. "I've been putting Doing It Raw on the backburner though."

Her eyes came to life. "How's Schnabel?"

"He's great. I told him about the new short and he might work on it. He said he misses you, by the way."

"Aww," Her head leaned to the side. "I'll have to hang out with him soon."

My brow rose at that.

She leaned back a little. "Oh, I see. Good ole double standard, huh?"

I chuckled. "The difference is Schnabel will hit on you."

"I definitely don't want that," She tucked some hair behind her ear. Her chestnut eyes scanned mine. "I have an idea, you don't have to say yes. In fact, it may be a stupid idea. You know what," Her hand rose. "Forget about it."

My hand grabbed hers. "Shell,"

She stared at me a few moments before she said, "I was thinking I could come onto your podcast. And the three of us goof around." She awaited my response with a stiffness to her bones.

Having Shelley on Doing It Raw would be fucking amazing. I'd never thought of that before. Anything could happen on that show and it was like a baby to me. The fact that she wanted to be a part of its life meant a lot.

"I don't know, Shell..." I put on a serious face. "I don't think you're a good fit for Doing It Raw." I realized how that sounded after it came out of my mouth.

She lowered her gaze. "Yeah, no. It was just an idea." Sadness washed over her.

Awww.

"Are you kidding me?" My eyes made hers look into mine. I put on a grin. "I'd love to have you on my podcast."

Her face brightened. "Yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah,"

I noticed that my hand still held hers and she hadn't pulled away yet.

"Speaking of," She pulled her phone out. "What this?" She showed me my post of her I made earlier. She had gave it a red heart.

My hand that held hers pulled away to grab her phone. I scrolled through the comments. They made me blush.

"I forgot about that," I laughed it off. When she was distracted with a few people making a fuss I typed 'Boo thang' and posted it under her name.

She looked back at me just as I hit post. She gasped with a laugh. "What did you write, Posey?" She read over it. She, too, blushed. "It can stay. For now."

"For now?" I took a swig of my beer.

"Depends on how you treat me at the end of the night." Her eyes danced in brevity.

I paused mid sip to glance at her. She was getting cheeky. And I was liking it, my body was loving it. I was tempted to ask 'How do you want to be treated?' but I refrained. Some things had to be left up to mystery.

"And you saw Cari again, I'm jealous."

My heart was gonna explode.

I laughed oddly. "Yeah, she was in the same aisle. I'm pretty sure she had to leave her job early because of us. Poor thing had a headache."

Her hand rested on my arm on the bar. "You underestimate your effect on people. Especially younger girls."

Intrigued, I said, "Do tell,"

She cleared her throat, her hand felt like it was searing into my skin. "If they know you from the show then they're expecting Puppy Dog Scott McCall. But you give them Wildcard, Punk Rock Skater Hottie Tyler Posey."

We stared at each other, the unspoken question sat between us, and her unspoken answer.

A tiny smirk came to my lips at her words. I hoped it meant what I thought it meant.

Her hand slid off of my arm, she grabbed her beer.

I motioned for another beer.

"What effect do I have on you?"

Her brow rose. "Huh?"

I leaned forward. "You said I didn't know the effect I had on people," My hand pulled her stool closer. "So what effect do I have on you?"

She pressed her lips together to hold in her smile, her dimples popped out adorably. "You want to know what I think?" Her hand went to my chest.

My head nodded as we closed in on each other. My hand rested on the side of her stool. "Desperately."

Her breath caught at our proximity. "What I think is that we've had a little to drink so our judgment is clouded."

I paused. It was only one beer, but still, I pulled back and drink some more beer.

"Maybe we should finally talk about it...About us." She ventured guiltily.

My eyes went to hers. "Oh, you mean how I've been into you for the past two years," I said nonchalantly.

Her brown eyes turned sad and held blame because of me. She looked away.

Every part of me hated that. So I had to make it better.

"We can talk about something else. How's your bunny?"

She slid her gaze to mine. "She's great and no. Let's talk about it. If we're being honest we came here to talk about it." She let out a tiny huff. "In the spirit of being honest, I broke up with Thomas because he wanted me to choose between you and him."

My forehead creased. "And you chose me."

"I chose you," She nodded.

Wow, she was putting cards on the table.

"Why?"

If she didn't want anything from me other than friendship then why did she choose me over her long term boyfriend that I was pretty sure was going to ask her to marry him any day.

She mindlessly bit into her bottle lip as she stared off into the distance. "I may have known Thomas longer and yeah, I loved him, but I wasn't going to give into his ultimatum." Her eyes burned into mine. "Besides, I still would've chosen you."

I watched her with guarded eyes because I didn't know what she wanted from me.

Me over her boyfriend of almost four years.

I licked my lips. "Help me out here, Shell. What do you see me as?"

Her eyes crinkled for me when a smile spread across her face. "Someone I probably shouldn't make out with if we're going to work together."

I actually laughed. "Maybe you're right." I caught sight of these dudes walking in, their eyes on Shelley like a snake's on a mouse. My eyes glared into theirs, letting them know she was not an option. Not because of me, but she was too good for the likes of them.

They got the message and sat at a table.

I glared a little while longer so they'd get the message.

A warm hand flattened on my cheek and moved my face to look at her. She had moved a little more into my space. Her stormy eyes were one with mine before she leaned over to press her lips into mine.

My eyes closed while my heart fluttered. It took a few moments to sink in that she was kissing me. On her own. Without acting involved. Because she wanted to.

Her hand cupped my face.

I moved my mouth against her in a firm yet light brush of lips. I'd save the hard and heavy stuff for later. My hands pulled her to my lap when she deepened the kiss, her tongue sought mine.

Both of her hands held my face.

My chest felt heavy and light at the same time while every emotion she ever caused swirled in me. My jeans filled, pretty soon she was met in the middle by my hard-on.

She moaned into my mouth. Her warmth instinctively rubbed against me.

I literally almost came.

"Hey, you guys can't-" The bartender started. "Fuck it, I don't care."

A low groan left me when sucked on my tongue. Her hands slid to my hair and lightly pulled.

Holy shit. Where was that when we were acting?

Her phone rang.

She pulled away with a tug of my lips.

"Don't answer," My mouth traveled to her neck when she reached for her phone.

She giggled at the ticklish spot. "It's Phoebe." She answered with concern. "You okay, pumpkin?" She eventually met my eyes and spoke into the phone. "We're on the way. Love you."

My brows rose. I pointed to myself. "She wants the both of us to come over?"

She reached for her wallet. "Want isn't the right word."

My hand tried to stop her because my card was already on file "I got it."

She handed him her card anyway. "I got it." A little dominance seeped into her tone.

I nodded. "I know how to respect my elders."

Her hand pushed my shoulder back. "Shut up," She laughed, her happiness reached her eyes again, which in turn made her dimples so fucking deep for me.

My eyes went to her swollen lips. "Make me,"

She leaned forward until her mouth hovered over mine. "Maybe later." She reached for her credit card and receipt behind me.

I wasn't ashamed to admit I was looking at her with heart eyes. Well, I thought I had always looked at her like that, but now I could do it openly with not having to worry about scaring her or ruining our friendship because she made the first move this time.

She pocketed her card as she stood. "I'll drive being that I only had half a beer,"

I stood to my feet, still towered over her with her wedges on. "Lead the way." I'd follow her like a lost puppy.

Her free smile told me she would enjoy that.

A/N: I lied yall. This chapter came sooner than I thought it would. Mostly because I knew it would be shorter than the other fics I would've written a chapter for. Please let me know how you like things so far. I'm trying to play around with their development in a way that's different than my Scalia fics. This will be interesting to have fun. If you haven't checked out my other Scalia fics I recommend starting with Whenever You're Ready and going from there. :) My Tumblr is scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy shoot me a message if you want to chat :D

Also, I know guys don't help other guys pick out outfits i just thought it was funny haha.


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